Monday, September 21, 2015

Former Vernon Laker Ewen Dies At Age 49

Former Vernon Lakers forward Todd Ewen passed away over the weekend at the young age of 49. Ewen played one season in Vernon (1982-83) playing in 42 games with the Lakers collecting (14-goals-10-assists-24-points). Ewen was drafted in Round 8 168th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1984 NHL Draft. Ewen played 11 seasons in the NHL from 1986-1997 playing with four different teams (St. Louis, Montreal, Anaheim & San Jose) winning the Stanley Cup with the Candiens. Ewen played with Vernon Vipers Head Coach-GM Mark Ferner who also played in Anaheim with the Mighty Ducks from 1993-1995.

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Blues and the Blues Alumni Association are mourning the death of Todd Ewen.

Blues Chairman Tom Stillman has issued the following statement: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Blue Todd Ewen. Todd was an outstanding individual who called St. Louis home and continued to devote much of his time to the game he loved. On behalf of the entire St. Louis Blues organization, our thoughts and prayers are with the Ewen family during this most difficult time."

Ewen played for the Blues from 1986 to 1990, appearing in 124 regular season games in St. Louis. He was nicknamed "The Animal" for his tough style of play, and he registered 10 goals and seven assists while collecting 493 penalty minutes as a Blue.

After an 11-year NHL career, Ewen made St. Louis his home and devoted himself to coaching youth hockey. He served as an assistant coach for Saint Louis University's hockey program in 2008 and took over as the team's head coach in 2009, where he remained until last year.

Ewen was also an active board member of the St. Louis Blues Alumni Association.

Brett Hull, who played with Ewen in St. Louis, tweeted "I was proud to call Todd Ewen a teammate and more importantly, a friend. Can't believe you're gone."

The Blues Alumni Association also issued a statement, saying "We respectfully send our most heartfelt condolences to Todd's family, friends, teammates and the players he coached, and ask for privacy as we all grieve during this difficult time."

This was posted on Yahoo Sports.com.

Police classify death of former NHLer Todd Ewen as suicide: Report

By Sean Leahy

Former NHL enforcer Todd Ewen died on Saturday due to what police are classifying as a suicide.

According to CTV Calgary’s Amanda Singroy, https://twitter.com/CTVAmanda/with_replies police say Ewen died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. She also Tweets that Ewen’s family said the 49-year old battled depression for years.

Tom Stillman, owner of the St. Louis Blues, Ewen’s first NHL team, released the following statement on Sunday:

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Blue Todd Ewen. Todd was an outstanding

individual who called St. Louis home and continued to devote much of his time to the game he loved. On behalf of the entire St. Louis Blues organization, our thoughts and prayers are with the Ewen family during this most difficult time."

"Todd was a good friend. He was a kind and caring husband to his beautiful wife Kelly and a wonderful father to their children. I knew him best as a teammate, willing to give of himself without reservation for the good of the group. He'll be missed."

Ewen was an eighth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 1984. He played 518 NHL games and recorded 1,911 penalty minutes with the Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and San Jose Sharks. He earned a Stanley Cup ring as a member of the 1993 Canadiens.

1990 & 1991 Vernon Lakers Inducted Into Okanagan Sports Hall Of Fame

The 1969-70 & 1971-72 Vernon Essos were inducted into the Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame in November 2014

1999 Vernon Vipers Inducted Into BC Hockey Hall Of Fame

The 1999 Vernon Vipers were inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame In July 2016

On December 2nd 2017 the Vernon Vipers honoured the 1956 Vernon Canadians and former Vernon Esso's legend Wayne Dye. The 1956 Vernon Canadians Allen Cup banner along side Wayne Dye's #8 Legends banner were raised to the rafters at Kal Tire Place

Kal Tire Place-Home to the Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame

The Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1982 through the vision of Vernon resident and sports enthusiast, Nick Alexis. With the support of Vernon City Council, Alexis and a dedicated group of volunteers created a series of outdoor exhibits celebrating the region’s dynamic sporting history in Vernon’s Cenotaph Park. That same year, the new organization unveiled its first round of inductees to the Hall of Fame. Several years later, in 2001, the Hall of Fame moved its exhibits into the newly constructed Vernon Multiplex now known as Kal Tire Place.

About Me

I first created this blog in November of 2008. This coming season will be my ninth season doing this blog. I was born and raised in Vernon, BC and have been going to Junior Hockey games in Vernon since I was a young child. I purchased my first set of season tickets in 1990
I have had season tickets for the last 26 years, Since 1990 I have missed 42 home games.
In September of 2009 I missed my first home game since 2002-03 wich my streak of 236 straight Vipers home games came to an end. Ive missed just three Vipers home games since the 1998-1999 season.
I worked with the Vipers back in 2003-04 as colour comentator helping out with a few games over the internet. In 2011 I helped deisgn, create and put together the Vipers new website for the 2011-12 season. I ran and updated the Vipers website for five seasons, keeping all staff bios and pictures updated, adding new game photos, doing a game preview on game days, as well as adding any Vipers news, scores or BCHL news through out the season.
Over the years I have travelled to Victoria, Dauphin & Camrose to watch the Vipers in the RBC Cup. I was also at the 1990 Centennial Cup & 2014 RBC Cup in Vernon.